


The waiting game

by somebodysomeplace1



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Coma, Gen, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26362249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodysomeplace1/pseuds/somebodysomeplace1
Summary: Eddie doesn't really know what to do as he is watching over Buck in a coma as the others try to keep him and Maddie's hopes and hearts up.
Relationships: Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz & Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Eddie Diaz & Howie "Chimney" Han & Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) & Bobby Nash, Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)/Original Male Character(s), Eddie Diaz/Howie "Chimney" Han, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Maddie Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 8
Kudos: 146





	The waiting game

There is a certain level of pain that the human body can grasp. Each terror, each injury, all adds up- building you together, making you stronger- until eventually, it can't anymore.

There's a breaking point to everyone. A point where you can't take something anymore, and humans know that. They just know that they have to wait it out. Wait until it's their time. The time when all of it- the world- will come crashing down on them at some point in their life. It's just the waiting game.

"Eddie, Eddie!"

"I'm here. I'm right here."

The memory of his name being screamed at the top of their lungs makes him go sick to his stomach. Every time Eddie closes his eyes, that's all he can think about; fathom. He has tried to get rid of the very moment that the world came crashing down on him; or more so-

"Buck?" Eddie whispers beside the bed. He's been sitting by his bedside for the past couple of days. He's knows it's unhealthy, but what else could he do.

Leaning back into the hospital chair sat by Buck's bed, all he can do is sit in silence. Nothing else to do but wait for him to come back.

"Eddie." a voice calls from the door to the room- getting him out of his thoughts

"Hey Maddie." Eddie smiles as he looks up at her

She comes and sits beside him on the other chair by the bed. Putting her hand out in front if him.

"I brought you some coffee." she says, handing him a cup "Thought you'd need it."

Eddie grabs the cup from her hands, offering her a smile in return.

It stays silent for a moment. Eddie not really knowing what to say.

"Anything yet?" Maddie says, breaking the silence

Eddie shakes his head- looking down at the coffee cup in his lap. "No, not yet."

Maddie nods her head slowly as though trying to understand his emotions and how he feels.

"Buck's brave. He always has been." Eddie says as he stares at him lying there on his hospital bed "Guess we just have to hope for the best." he smiles, turning to face Maddie beside him

"Yeah." she agrees as she starts wiping tears away from her eyes that start to blur her vision "We can only hope."

Eddie smiles back at her sincerely- turning back to face Buck. When his eyes start to well up he quickly rubs at them.

Just hope- he thinks

-

"Buck!" he calls

No answer.

"Buck?"

Eddie starts to feel a warm hand being placed on his shoulder- it's calming.

"Hey Eddie." Bobby says, as he stand beside him in the room

"Morning cap."

Bobby hums in response; sitting in the empty spot on the chair that is in the room. "Did the nurses come in here yet?"

Eddie looks at him, shaking his head. "Not yet, but they are supposed to come in soon to check on him..." he trails off

Bobby seems to catch on to his hesitancy to continue, so he turns to face him in his chair. "What is it?" he questions

Eddie reverts his gaze back to the hospital bed in front of them.

"Do you think..." Eddie trails off; not wanting to finish the rest of the sentence.

"Eddie." Bobby says, as he places a firm hand on the chair arm beside him "Things like this take time and you know that. The doctors probably don't know for sure either. But you shouldn't be worried, it's Buck." he says- earning him a chuckle from Eddie "He always pulls through." And it's true. He does, every single time.

Eddie starts to nod his head in response- his gaze landing at the bed once again. This time, there are other people beside it.

"Hey guys." Eddie groans

Hen and Chimney smile at him. "Hey."

"I brought some flowers." Chimney explains- putting his hand out in front of Eddie sincerely.

"Thanks." he says as he grabs them, placing it by the bedside.

"So." Hen starts as she comes by them and leans on the wall by the window "How's Buck doing?"

Eddie shrugs, not really knowing how to answer that question. I mean, how could you possibly answer how someone is doing when they are in a coma?

"He hasn't responded yet." is what he manages to says- the ignorance getting caught on the end of his tongue.

"Hmm." Hen hums, not really knowing how to reply

As Eddie is staring at the ventilator that is stationed in Buck's mouth, the whole situation starts to shock him.

This really happened.

-

It's funny because nothing hurts. In this moment, at this very short moment in time, nothing hurts.

Of course there is a bit of a headache coming from time to time- beating in his head like a drum with a horrible drum player- but overall, it's not that bad.

"Eddie?" he whispers when he looks to the left of the bed.

Eddie is sitting there with his head in his hands, leaning back and staring blankly out the window.

"Eddie?" he calls again, trying to get his attention. But he doesn't answer; doesn't even budge.

"Eddie!"

"Eddie!"

Why can't he hear him? He's right here.

"Mr. Diaz." a voice calls from the door as they step inside

Eddie removes his hands from his face and looks at them; it's a doctor.

"Yes?" Eddie questions as he stands up from his seat

The doctor moves closer to him turning to face Buck in the bed.

"Mr. Buckley- he has suffered a fracture to the spine." he starts as he shows him the x-rays in his hand "You see right there?" he points at a spot in his spine and Eddie nods along when he sees it "Those parts of the nerves are connected to his legs. Since they have been damaged it will take a lot of surgery and treatment to repair. But we don't know for sure if he'll ever walk again."

Eddie furrows his eyebrows at the doctor.

"So he's paralyzed from the waist down?" he questions

The doctor nods his head- tucking the x-rays back into his pocket.

"I'm so sorry." he finishes as he leaves the room- leaving them there

When Eddie sits back down in the chair, Buck reverts his gaze back to him.

He really wishes he could talk to him. Let him know that he's still here; fighting.

-

"Okay Christopher." Eddie starts, as they approach the room "Buck is not that well, so he can't do that much."

Christopher tilts his head to the side in confusion. "Why?"

"He was hurt badly." Eddie explains as he grabs his son's hand "Let's go and see him."

When they reach inside the room, Eddie places Christopher on the bed beside Buck with him sitting down in the same chair beside the bed.

"Hi Buck." Christopher whispers as he runs a soft hand over his face gently "It's me, Christopher." he explains

Christopher is so gentle with him. It makes Eddie smile.

"Today at school we got assigned this project for science." Chris continues "We have to make something for the science fair."

Eddie places a hand over Christopher's. "Chris, we should be heading home soon." Eddie tells him

"Okay." Chris nods- turning back to face Buck "Remember in the tsunami when you saved me and all those people." he whispers "You asked me how I kept on going and I told you that I told myself to keep on swimming. Well, I know that you can keep on doing that too. You have to."

Eddie's eyes start to fill with tears, wondering where this is all coming from.

"Please wake up." Christopher says, before leaning down and placing a soft kiss to Buck's temple.

Leaving the room, Eddie looks back at him lying in the bed; the ventilator still doing the breathing for him.

Please keep on swimming.

-

"Do you know if Mr. Buckley is an organ donor?"

Eddie shakes his head in disbelief and looks to the doctor. "No, why?"

"It's just something that we ask when the family is considering to take him off of the ventilator." he explains

"I'm sorry, but I'm not doing that." Eddie says, making it very clear that he'd rather wait than-

"Mr. Diaz. I need you to know that Evan many not wake up from his coma."

"I know." he whispers as he looks at Buck "Can we have some time alone please?" Eddie asks as he turns back to face them

"Of course." he smiles- leaving the room

When the doctor leaves the room, Eddie sits on the same chair- shuffling it closer to Buck's side so that he can hold his hand in his.

"Evan." he says with a tears streaming down his face "I know that you can here me in there." Eddie pauses "And I know how strong you are. So please wake up. We need you. Maddie, Chimney, Bobby, Hen, Christopher, we all do."

Eddie knows it's a long shot, but it's worth a try.

And of course it's disappointing when he does what is expected.

Grabbing his jacket that it spread across the back of the chair, Eddie goes to get up but he is stopped by a hand squeezing his.

"Buck?" he questions as he looks down at him- going to sit back down in the chair.

After a few moments with no response, Eddie starts to doubt himself. Maybe it was his brain tricking him into thinking that it was Buck. Maybe it wasn't.

As though the universe knew, Buck squeezes his hand again.

Not knowing want to do, Eddie leans over the bedside and buzzes for the nurse.

-

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm positive." Eddie explains happily

The doctor smiles at him, just as excited as Eddie is. "It's great news then." he says "We'll just need to run some tests, but he should slowly start to wake up over the next couple of days."

Eddie moves in closer and hugs the man. "Thank you, so much."

-

Over the next couple of days, Eddie has finally been able to go home. He has gotten a good night's rest at and had the time to make breakfast and not just grab a snack and go.

When he arrives in Buck's room, it is surrounded with people who work at the hospital.

"What's wrong?" Eddie asks as he makes his way through the crowd

"Eddie." he hears a voice groan. And trust him, if Buck's doctor weren't here right now, Eddie wouldn't know what to do.

"Buck?" he says

Buck smiles up at him- the widest one he can manage to do, but it's still his smile so Eddie doesn't care how big his smile is.

"We'll give you two some space." the doctor says as him and his team head out

When they exit the room, Eddie sets himself down on the bed beside Buck; finally deciding to promote himself to the bed.

"Eddie." he smiles

The whole time that Buck wasn't speaking was when Eddie didn't know what to do. And know that he is, he still doesn't.

"Buck. I-"

"Shh." Buck says- cutting him off "I'm right here." he assures him

Eddie starts to run a hand through his hair, wondering where to start.

"You're here." he echoes

Buck smiles up at him.

"I missed you so much." Eddie cries

"Me too." Buck says, grabbing Eddie's hand in his "Now tell me what I missed."

Eddie shuffles in closer, lying down beside Buck in bed with him tucked into his chest.

"Well..."

Eddie's finally done with the waiting game. Wondering if Buck will or will not wake up. But he did.

Buck decided to keep on swimming. And he’s truly thankful for that.


End file.
